Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Rebel Wilson says she didn’t lose her virginity until age 35: ‘People can wait till they’re ready’

Wilson writes about the subject in her new memoir ‘Rebel Rising’

Louis Chilton
Thursday 28 March 2024 12:11 GMT
Rebel Wilson reveals why she got banned from Disneyland

Australian actor Rebel Wilson has revealed that she did not lose her virginity until the age of 35.

The Pitch Perfect star, 44, said that she shared this with fans in the hope of sending a “positive message”.

She writes about the experience in her forthcoming memoir Rebel Rising, which has also recently made headlines due to parts that discuss her grievances with Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen.

According to Wilson, she first had sexual intercourse at the age of 35, but had kept this private from friends due to social pressure.

“Not everybody has to lose their virginity as a teenager,” she said, in an interview with People magazine. “People can wait till they’re ready or wait till they’re a bit more mature.

“And I think that could be a positive message. You obviously don’t have to wait until you’re in your thirties like me, but you shouldn’t feel pressure as a young person.”

A 2023 YouGov poll reported that for British men, the median age for losing virginity is 18, while for women, it was 17. Five per cent of respondants reported losing their virginity at the age of 25 or above.

Describing herself as a “late bloomer”, Wilson said that she had felt “embarassed” to admit that she lost her virginity in her mid-thirties.

“There was one vague time, I think I told my best friend, ‘Oh, yeah, I just did it to just get it over with when I was like 23,’” Wilson said. “Just to really avoid the questions.

Rebel Wilson pictured in August 2023 (Getty Images for Opera Australia)

“Normally I would just leave the room when the conversation was happening,” she continued. “And then the people that said, ‘Oh, at 24, it’s so late.’ And then I’m sitting here thinking, ‘Oh my God, my number’s 35. What the hell? I’m going to look like the biggest loser.’”

In 2022, Wilson announced that she was in a relationship with entrepreneur Ramona Agruma. The couple, who share a daughter, are currently engaged.

On Instagram this week, Wilson named Baron Cohen as the man whom she accuses in her memoir of being a “massive a**hole”. A whole chapter is said to be dedicated to her experiences with the Bruno actor, who appeared with her in the 2014 comedy Grimsby (released in the US as The Brothers Grimsby).

In a statement given to The Independent, Baron Cohen’s representatives denied Wilson’s allegations, stating: “While we appreciate the importance of speaking out, these demonstrably false claims are directly contradicted by extensive detailed evidence, including contemporaneous documents, film footage, and eyewitness accounts from those present before, during and after the production of The Brothers Grimsby.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in